Should I replace a mouldy beech worktop in a rented property?

ironryon

Hi

I live in a rented property that has beech worktops in the kitchen.
The worktop around the taps and anywhere water has been has turned black. The landlord now says that before I leave I should replace the section that has gone mouldy. One section of beech is £190 plus fitting plus professional sealing....

In my defence, the water never beaded on the worktop when I moved in so i know it wasnt sealed properly. I was never given instructions on how to seal/protect it and dont know anything about beech and how it may be affected by water etc. I do know that a worktop is there to serve a function and will get wet. I have done what I would do in any kitchen and wipe down water and keep it clean though.

So does anyone know where I stand?

Thanks in advance

Worry_Wart

I had this in my last place. I sanded the whole worktop down and varnished it. Took an afternoon, but it looked better than when I moved in, and I got my full deposit back.

Has it rotted all the way through? Try not to use it for a couple of days to let it dry out, then sand a bit away and see how deep the mould runs. It might only be a few mills deep. You will need a palm sander for this - it'd take forever by hand. One of your friends probably has one you could borrow if you don't own one already, they're quite cheap.

ironryon

I think letting it dry for a day or two might make it look better however - around the taps its blackened quite bad but its probably not very deep- My friend said he could bring his belt sander but it wont make much difference.

On one side is a white utensil drainage item - under that you can see the wood is black all the way through. If it had been sealed that wood would have been fine....was I really expected to take that item off and seal it myself when I moved in and every so many months!?

somethingcorporate

The above is superb advice, sand and varnish and it should be good as new, assuming the mold is not too deep.

It's a really messy job so make sure you take as much stuff out of the room as possible.

leccyblue

Personally, I wouldn't go to any effort to resolve this yourself. It sounds like the worktop hadn't been correctly maintained before you moved in. Real wood tops need to be regularly sealed (which really shouldn't be your responsibility).

HOWEVER; you ought to have reported this to your landlord when it started to mould. Then you'd have some comeback now.

Have you explained to the landlord / agent your position?

ironryon

leccyblue

The landlord has been in many times over the 1.5 years tenancy and seen the worktop gradually getting worse.

I did once purchase and apply a danish wood oil on most parts that were accessible but it was obviously not enough.

Part of the contract says "to keep interior of the property in the same state of repair, condition as at the commencement of the tenancy...." Just not sure how this applies to a non treated peice of wood used as a worktop....

ironryon

And yes I explained my position but he said I should return the house in the same condition blah blah....

JimmyTheWig

ironryon wrote: »

The landlord has been in many times over the 1.5 years tenancy and seen the worktop gradually getting worse.

What conversations were had between yo and the landlord about it during the 1.5 years?

ironryon

Not a great deal.
He would say that its looking worse...and leave.
He suggested that it can be sanded so I contacted a carpenter to ask if its possible but as I mentioned before he said its beyond needing sanding and it should have been treated when I moved in.

Worry_Wart

Wooden work tops are a pain. He really should have explained how to look after it before you moved in, and if he was in regularly should have done some remedial work before it was too late.

It's his own fault for having a wooden work top in a rental property. Something that you can't put wet things on, hot things on, and cold things on shouldn't be in a kitchen! I feel your pain.

Argue it as much as you can. Was there any mould there before you moved in?

dgtazzman

I'd also argue having you replace (sections of) the worktop would fall under betterment and just replacing sections would probably not help in the looks department.

I would also think this level of maintenance on the worktop (sealing/treating it regularly) would be beyond what can be reasonably expected from a tenant, especially if no specific instructions were ever given by the LL.

I would ignore and let the issue go to arbitration with the deposit protection scheme when you leave.

Was there a check-in inventory that details the state of the worktop as being good without signs of mold? If no, or not detailed enough, the LL won't get far with a claim.